Death Knell
by TheDoublemintTwins11
Summary: None of the Strawhats had ever expected that Luffy would die in his sleep, and that's because he didn't. Now Zoro must go to the depths of hell and back to save his captain from an unnatural end that he doesn't deserve. No pairings, not a death fic.
1. Good Night

**Oh man, it really has been forever since I last posted a story… sorry about that! **

**Anyway, I **_**promise **_**that this isn't a death fic, although it certainly seems like one… I came up with this strange little idea last semester and decided to try and write it out. There are no pairings for this story, but (as with many things in life) you can read into it however you want.**

**Note: this is going to be a rather short little fic, only five chapters, and although it **_**could**_** be longer if I wanted it to be… I don't.**

"_Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"—Hamlet, Act V Scene II_

**Good Night**

An eerie silence had settled over the Thousand Sunny that morning. No one had noticed, at first, that the ship was unusually quiet. The cook had risen first, as always, to prepare a meal that had never been finished. Nami arose around the same time Usopp did when the sharpshooter slammed a door and, as a result, set her off. According to her, it was much too early for that kind of noise—though she was being much louder.

Her shrieking had woken all of the other crew members. One by one the other members went to go about their business, and none thought it odd that the ship lacked it usual loud and boisterous yelling.

With the last finishing touches, Sanji served up two plates of breakfast for the ladies and carried the rest over to the table for the guys to serve themselves.

"Oi, time to eat!" he yelled, placing one plate in front of their archeologist, who was already at the table drinking a cup of coffee. She nodded her thanks just as Usopp and Chopper burst into the dining room, followed closely by the rest of the crew.

Sanji frowned when he noticed two missing members. He understood the Marimo not showing up—he slept in all the time—but Luffy was usually in the kitchen _long_ before it was actually time to eat.

He turned to Usopp. "Hey, go get Luffy and the Marimo." The sharp shooter, having sat down literally two seconds earlier, frowned and looked ready to protest, but the idea was quickly quelled by the threat of a boot to the face. With a sigh he rose from the table and pointed at his food.

"This _better_ be here when I get back." The rest dismissed the statement and continued eating as Usopp left the room. He had a feeling that he'd be eating light this morning.

Zoro groaned inwardly when the door to the men's quarter's slammed open and Usopp came in, none to quietly. He glared at the beam of light coming in through the door.

"Time to eat." Usopp stated flatly, before slamming the door shut again—plunging the room into darkness once more. Zoro sighed and rolled out of his hammock, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes as he grabbed a shirt and pulled it on. He paused at his captain's hammock. The teen was still asleep, totally undisturbed by the intrusion.

"Hey, Luffy, it's time to eat." When he didn't get a response, the swordsman scoffed and reached out to shake the boy. "Come on, you're not that tired…" When he placed a hand on the rubber boy's arm it felt cold. A frown creased his forehead, and he grabbed the captain by the shoulders and gave him a shake. With every moment the increasing pound of his heart grew louder in his ears.

"Not funny Luffy, get the hell up." It was hard to hide the panic in his voice as he laid a hand on Luffy's cheek. It was cold as well. "Luffy!" He yelled, shaking him more violently this time. His lead lulled listlessly to one side, and the straw hat slid onto the floor, but Zoro hadn't noticed.

He scooped the boy up. He was totally limp—dead weight—and he wasn't breathing. The swordsman heard the sound of yelling but was too focused on his captain to realize that it was his own.

"_Chopper!_"

---

He'd been fine. The swordsman stared blankly at the wall, remembering Luffy's own void expression. A few hours ago he'd been sitting on the figurehead with Zoro, talking about what they planned to do on the next island, and now he was dead. He'd been the last one to talk to him, and he hadn't noticed anything strange. There wasn't anything strange to notice! And yet, the swordsman couldn't help but blame himself.

A few hours ago, everything was totally fine and now he was gone. It seemed somewhat surreal. None of them had expected it. Who would had thought that Luffy—their captain, the unstoppable force—would die in his sleep? He hadn't even died of _something._ His heart had simply stopped pumping, and not even Chopper could figure out why.

It seemed unfair. Cowardly, and unfair. Zoro almost refused to accept it. If he hadn't been the one to find him, the swordsman probably wouldn't believe it at all. Even now he was expecting Luffy to come running out of the infirmary, demanding that everyone stop being so gloomy.

But he wouldn't, and even if Zoro wanted to believe that his captain was fine, he wasn't going to lie to himself, either. That would just make matters worse. And although none of them wanted to face the future, they didn't really have a choice, either.

What was to come of the crew? Zoro was the first mate, so technically he was in charge, but would the other follow him? Would he _want_ them to? He wasn't sure.

And even more daunting: When should they hold the funeral, and where?

The others seemed to be considering these questions as well. They were all gathered in the kitchen, just one wall separating them from their late captain. Zoro sat with his head in his arms, but he still felt the eyes of his crewmembers on him.

He couldn't tell if they were looking to him for advice or feeling sorry for him—after all, he'd been the one to find Luffy that morning, and he was inarguably the closest to their captain.

No matter what their motive, he wasn't comfortable with their stares.

The silence was pressing down on the room though, surprisingly, no one was crying. They just sat in shocked silence until their navigator finally, hesitantly, spoke up.

"We should have the…" She paused, not wanting to say the word funeral, "…have _it_ soon. It's not healthy, having…"She broke off again as tears threatened her voice.

"…having the body on board." Robin finished for her, "We should have the funeral as soon as possible. Today, perhaps." Nami nodded, burying her face into her arms. Sanji placed a hand on her back, drawing small circles with his thumb. She did nothing to stop him, but seemed to draw comfort from it instead. She gave him a weak smile while the cook absently stubbed out his third cigarette in the past fifteen minutes and placed another between his lips to light up with his free hand.

There was another bout of silence, which was broken by Usopp this time. He cleared his throat and rubbed an arm over his eyes, but it was impossible to hide the redness there.

"I… I don't know about you guys, but… I don't want to stop... This." Robin nodded.

"I have no where else to go." The rest of the crew nodded reluctantly.

"Luffy… wouldn't want us to stop, either." Chopper sniffed, trying to keep his voice steady, "I know he wouldn't."

"I don't know about you guys, but I still have a dream to achieve." Sanji said, turning to look at their swordsman, who had yet to add any input. "So, what do we do now, Captain?"

The minute the word left Sanji's lips, Zoro's head snapped up, and he brought two fists forcefully down on the table.

"I am _not_ you captain!" He shouted, stunning the room into silence. There was another long bout of silence, but this one was different. Zoro's brows furrowed as the anger from before slowly slipped into frustration, then confusion.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys!" He snapped, but still no one responded. They just stared at him with the same shocked expressions frozen on their faces.

"They can't hear you." A calm voice from behind assured him, and the swordsman whirled around. He saw nothing, and turned quickly back. He _recognized_ that voice, having heard it once before, just after his fight with Mihawk. The room was unusually cold, and he recognized that, too. It was always the same. Despite Zoro's refusal to show any semblance of fear, the sound of it sent chills down his spine.

Before him stood a shadowed figure of black. He knew it well, having run into him multiple times in his life, but this time was different. Only once had it actually communicated with him, and that was out of sheer frustration with the swordsman and his stubborn refusal to die, yet he was speaking with him now.

There was one other difference, however, which Zoro intended to do something about it.

He wasn't here for Zoro, this time.

"_You!_" Death nodded slightly and held up a shrouded hand in an attempt to quell the swordsman's anger, but it only served to infuriate him more.

"Sit down, Roronoa." The hooded figure demanded when the swordsman reached for the swords at his side and pushed up from the table. "I'm here to talk."

"Give me my captain back, and I won't kill you."

"I'm here to talk." The statement was quiet, seeming to come not from the figure, but from the back of Zoro's mind. "And you can't kill Death."

"We are talking! I'm telling you to give him back!" He drew one sword, holding it out towards the figure, who seemed utterly unfazed. "I told you already, my crew is off limits! _Especially _him!"

"Your captain isn't dead," The words echoed with as cryptic an air as the being that spoke them, and Zoro stopped in his tracks before he had the chance to attack their uninvited guest, "And I didn't take his soul, but I will tell you how to get it back."

"Why the hell would I trust you?" Zoro snapped. Though the being before him was nothing but a black shadow, he could feel the smug air it put off.

"Because you want your captain back, and you know as well as I do that you would do anything to make it happen." The voice of death was calming, a trait needed to soothe those unfortunate souls that met an unexpected end, but Zoro was anything but relaxed.

"Why?" He asked, and before he even had a chance to finish the question: why would you help me, death had disappeared. The room's temperature seemed to rise considerably, but the rest of his crew still didn't move, proving that the reaper had not departed.

"You and I have a common goal. I've been waiting seventeen years for that stubborn brat's soul." Zoro didn't turn to look at the voice, knowing full and well that its source was not where it appeared to be. "I _want_ my soul, Roronoa. And if you do not go to get it now, I can not have it later, when your captain finally decides to die. I am immortal. I do not mind waiting a few years for your stubborn asses to accomplish your goals, but I do mind when someone steals my property, and that soul is _my property._ Are you interested?"

"What do you mean, steal?" Zoro asked.

"I asked if you were interested." It hissed again, and the room dropped in temperature once more.

"Of course I'm interested!" Zoro snapped, trying to get more information on the situation. Although it was true that he would do anything to get his captain back, he wasn't such a fool that he would blindly trust Death to not deceive him. "How do you steal a soul?"

"Oh, it happens." Death hummed. "When a person dies in their sleep, their soul simply slides so far into their subconscious that it can be harvested. But this, _this_ was done through other means. His soul isn't where it was supposed to be, which means he didn't die in his sleep. Something stole my soul—"

"_Luffy's _soul!"

"They're all my property in the end, son." Zoro glared at the being, but didn't argue the point any further.

"What took it—how do I get it back?" Zoro demanded.

Death was always irritated by this particular mortal. It was so disrespectful and annoyingly fearless. Where most mortals cowered before him, this one did not.

"These creatures, called Baku, Dream Eaters, occasionally steal away a soul, and take it with them to their lair. I'm not able to follow them there—as no magical being but the Dream Eaters themselves can enter, so these petty thefts are usually ignored. But I _want_ your captain's soul—it is a powerful one, and it would be wasted as a Dream Eater's meal." He saw the swordsman react to the word meal, but ignored it and continued. "You simply need to go and get you captain's soul back before it is devoured." The swordsman's hand clenched into a fist, and his jaw set in determination. Seeing this, the reaper began preparing for his departure.

He'd never really liked pirates—most of them had seen enough deaths that they weren't even afraid of their own any more, and they just kept getting younger and younger, too. Soon, he feared, the audacity that came with these youngsters would be as natural as breathing.

"You may be surprised by this," Zoro gave Death a sarcastic look, "But I don't trust you. I need to know you won't cheat me."

"You have my word, and I am physically bound by it." Zoro paused, wary. A smart man didn't just blindly trust death to do the right thing. Still, Zoro felt that, at least this time, he could be trusted. This trust did not go unnoticed by Death, who was getting impatient.

"What do I have to do?"

"Go to hell." Death raised a hand, and held it out before the swordsman, but proceeded no further. "When you get there, you must seek out the Baku's lair, and get your captain back. The Dream Eaters have a very _unique_ way of feeding. They possess the soul of the mortal on which they intend to feed and drain its energy until there is nothing left. If you don't get to your captain's soul in time, or your friends dispose of your bodies before you succeed, then both of you will die, and I'll take your soul as compensation for losing his… assuming that the Baku doesn't eat you as well."

"_Our_ bodies?" The swordsman asked.

"Hell is not for the corporeal, son." At once the hand raised toward him seemed to gain its own gravitational pull. As the air seemed to be pulled from his lungs, his mind, too, seemed to be tearing away from the rest of him. The world grew darker as he felt his body fall away from him, discarded, and the inviting dining room of the Thousand Sunny gave way to a darker and much more dismal place.

**Is Death out of character? Is that even possible? I really don't know… Anyway, be sure to review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Death Knell

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are so, undeniably, amazingly, awesome!**

_"The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell."—__Macbeth,__ Act II Scene I_

**Death Knell**

Somewhere, a steady drip echoed off the stone walls surrounding him. Zoro suppressed a groan as he grudgingly got to his feet to survey his surroundings. An incessant pounding in his head tried to keep him from remembering what had just happened, but the thought of his dead captain quickly brought him to his senses. Dead, but not for long, if he had anything to say about it.

A whisper of air behind him told the swordsman that he wasn't alone. He reached for his katana, only to grasp at air. He grabbed for them again, and this time a hand grasped firmly around the hilt of one of his swords. When he looked down, he realized that the only one of his three swords that was still in his possession was Sandai Kitetsu. He turned his attention away from the sword.

"You have two hours. After that time, your crew will become unfrozen. If they dispose of your bodies before your return, you will fail your mission. Now go and seek out the Dream Eater's lair, and do not draw attention to yourself. Follow that path." It motioned to a hole in the stone.

"Where are my swords?" Zoro demanded.

"As I said, Hell is not for the corporeal. This will likely be the last time you speak to me before I come to claim your soul—however soon that may be."

"Wait! Where am I supposed to go? And you didn't answer my question!"

"You are to follow the path before you—it should not be hard, even for you—and it will take you directly to the Baku's lair. As for your swords, I already told you. Swords do not have souls, so they cannot follow you to this realm. That one," He gestured to Kitetsu.

"I would assume was only able to follow you due to its curse. Now, I must warn you, when you do find your captain's soul, it will be entirely unaware of the danger it is in, and will likely resist your efforts. The Dream Eaters have very powerful illusions that they will attempt to hold you in. The longer you are trapped in their illusion, the harder it will be to break, so be wary. The beasts themselves, however, are very weak. If you can escape their illusions, they will not be able to harm you—they are cowards and will likely flee at the first sign of danger. From this point on, however, you are on your own—I cannot be here."

Before Zoro had a chance to protest further, the same displacement of air beside him came again, marking the Reaper's departure. Zoro's grip on Kitetsu tightened in frustration, and the sword seemed to react to the sudden anger.

Zoro brought the sword up before his eyes in order to get a better look at it in the darkness. He could barely see two feet in front of him, but he was convinced that Kitetsu looked strange. It looked translucent, and seemed to be giving off just enough of it's own light for Zoro to see that not only was the _sword _translucent, but his hand was equally so. He wagered a guess that this was true for the rest of his body.

He really was in Hell, then. Well, it was certainly nothing like anything he would have imagined. Hell had always been a much hotter, more hopeless place in his mind. The place he was standing was dark, and a little dreary, but by no means a hopeless place where souls were damned for eternity. Whoever it was that said that Hell was all fire and brimstone had no idea how wrong they were.

He focused at a spot directly ahead of him, trying to force his eyes to adjust to the darkness. At first, he couldn't make out much of anything; everywhere he looked was dark, dark, and darker yet. But slowly, after a few moments, he began to make out shadowed forms in the darkness, which eventually revealed themselves to be stalagmites.

He was in what looked like a cave. There was no one in sight, but the path that Death had indicated was apparent. This place was cold, and dark, but not impossible to navigate. The path went on into the darkness further than his eyes could follow.

As he got closer to the archway that covered this path, he could vaguely tell that it was getting brighter. Not because he was getting used to the dark, but because there was some kind of light source up ahead of him.

Making sure that he would not lose Sandai Kitetsu—as it was the only weapon he had with him, and he had no idea what he was getting into—Zoro placed a hand on the wall to serve as a guide and started to run. He didn't have a lot of time, and he wasn't going to waste any standing around. The tunnel was long, but growing lighter every minute. He could tell that the end was coming up.

Despite himself, he couldn't help but wonder if he really could save his captain's soul. He didn't doubt his own abilities, but what he _did_ doubt was how smart it was to trust Death. For all he knew, Death already had Luffy's soul, and it was taking advantage of him to add another to its collection.

The only thing that kept him from believing this was true was the fact that Zoro thought too highly of Luffy to believe that he had died in his sleep. His captain had a goal that he hadn't reached yet, and he _knew _that Luffy would stop at nothing to reach it just like he knew that he would never abandon his crew. They'd had this conversation just last night—it was still fresh in his mind.

They'd been feeling particularly nostalgic, sitting together in the middle of the night. It was like old times, back when they'd just started out and it was only the two of them. There weren't a lot of times where they were totally alone anymore.

It was when they were reminiscing about past adventures—and talking about their dreams—that Luffy had taken it upon himself to assure his first mate that he intended to never, ever, leave his crew like Roger had—even if he _was_ sick and dying. It was just dumb luck that something like this had to happen so soon afterwards. Very Bad, dumb luck.

All at once the wall under his hand gave way to emptiness, and the tunnel spit him into a vast open landscape. He couldn't tell if the room was enclosed or had an open ceiling—he could see nothing to hint toward either. The darkness had given way to dim light, as though the area was trapped in an eternal twilight. The landscape was rocky and dead, though he'd been expecting nothing more.

His first instincts were to stay out of the wide-open space, to follow the stretch of the wall, but he knew he couldn't do that. The Baku's lair was supposed to be straight ahead, and it was infinitely more important that he get there quickly than it was that he remained cautious. Besides, he was already in hell—he really had nothing else to lose. _Except my Captain…_ he thought and then quickly pushed the idea from his mind.

Still, the short peaks of rock jutting out of the ground every ten feet were a good place for someone to hide. He was in Hell, after all, and Zoro refused to believe that he was the only one around. In fact, he should have seen someone by now, and yet he was alone. The thought made him uneasy.

And yet, every second he spent here wondering about hidden assailants, was another piece of his captain's soul lost, and another moment closer to the rest of his crew disposing of their bodies and ruining any chance of either of them coming back. The swordsman ran past the exit to the tunnel and began weaving through the rocks none too quietly.

How long had it been since he'd gotten here? There was no real way to tell, but if he had to guess, he would say about a half-hour. Maybe less, but it was better to not give himself enough time than to give himself too much.

He leapt over a rise in the rock, sending a few stones cascading downward after him. It was really quiet. The only things he could hear, in fact, were the sounds of his feet against the stone beneath him, his slightly tempered breathing. He couldn't even hear the sound of his heart—which made sense, considering the fact that he technically didn't _have_ a heart, but it disturbed him none the less.

He felt exhausted, as though he was out of breath—which didn't make sense, as he shouldn't need to breathe at all. He shook his head. It was all in his mind: his body felt tired because his mind thought it should be tired. His body felt light, but each movement felt strange to him, because he could no longer feel his muscles working. Zoro held his breath and the feeling of exhaustion left him immediately. This place was strange, and he needed to get used to it so that he was in top condition when he reached Luffy.

It was _way_ to quiet, and it put the swordsman on edge. Suddenly, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, and every bit of his instincts told him that there was something he should be watching out for. Zoro slowed his running to quickly survey his surroundings, though not enough to let any hidden assailants know that he was onto them. Sandai Kitetsu was humming with excitement now, and though there was a chance it was just feeding off of its master's paranoia, Zoro suspected that it felt the presence as well.

A movement to his right caught his eye and he came to a complete stop, and he drew his sword from its sheath. He glared in the direction that the movement had come from.

"I don't have time for this." He shouted, "Show yourself." His statement was met by a long pause, as though they hadn't expected him to notice them. Finally a lone figure emerged from behind a one of the stalagmites. It made no sound as it crept forward from the shadows, and it was soon joined by another spirit, that had been lurking further back.

Zoro's eyes narrowed at the pair. He recognized them… or at least, he thought he did. He couldn't remember their names, but he was fairly certain he had run into them at some point during his bounty hunting. The one that had emerged first laughed. It was a pitiful sound; mirthless, as though he was laughing merely because he didn't know how else to react.

"So someone finally killed you? It's about damn time." He stated, and laughed once more. The man standing behind him had already drawn his sword, but he remained silent. The look on his face was entirely void of emotion.

"I'm not dead." Zoro stated simply. The man's laughter cut off abruptly, and he looked as though he was extremely offended by this revelation.

"You're… not…" it paused, and Zoro had the feeling that it was overcoming some sort of shock. Suddenly, it laughed, more shrill and forced this time. It reminded him, in a way, of the laughter of the many men he'd condemned to the gallows, just after they realized that they were going to die. "Well then, well just have to fix that, won't we? You have no idea... no idea how long I've waited—" He trailed off in the middle of his sentence and drew his sword as well.

The two charged forward. Zoro mentally cursed at the inconvenience and moved to attack them, only to have his sword phase through the man's chest. The man cried out in surprise and lunged at Zoro. He passed straight through his chest. For whatever reason, Zoro couldn't touch the man, nor could the man touch him. The men didn't seem to notice or care. They continued throwing themselves at him, as though they were trying to win back their very lives by defeating him.

Zoro stopped, knowing that there was no point to their battle. He was wasting time here, and time was something he couldn't afford to lose. Zoro re-sheathed Sandai Kitetsu and turned back to the path.

"I've got something important I have to do." He stated simply yet somewhat apologetically, and began to run once more, this time at a much quicker pace in an attempt to make up for lost time. Behind him he could hear the man shrieking at him to come back, telling him that he wasn't done with him yet, that he could still take him. Eventually his cries for revenge turned to anguish, until it was nothing more than a lone and desperate wail in the distance, before it finally faded into silence.

**I've got a Large Group Speech competition that will go from tomorrow until the end of the month, so that may mean quicker updates… or it may mean slow ones. I'll try to get chapters updated weekly, at least. Please review!**


	3. Havoc

_"Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war". --Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I_

**Havoc**

Suddenly, Zoro was feeling a little crowded. One minute, he had been running toward what he _believed_ was the Dream Eater's lair, and the next he was surrounded by countless souls in every direction.

He wasn't exactly sure when they had made themselves known, or if they were there the whole time and he hadn't noticed. This place was strange like that. They had simply appeared out of _nowhere, _fading out of the background as though they belonged there_._ Zoro glanced warily from one side to the next. He doubted that any of them were going to attack him, and he doubted even more their ability to actually touch him if they were to try.

If the two men from earlier were anything to go off of, he was virtually untouchable in this world. Still, he wasn't intending to let his guard down, especially with so many souls surrounding him.

Though they were everywhere, none of them showed any sign of an interest in him. They were all simply hovering around him and each other, doing nothing, void of emotion. There was no long chain-gang of tortured souls, working for eternity. Every soul he saw just seemed to stand, suspended in time, unwilling to do anything but stare vacantly at him.

It was then that he realized that the two men—if that was the proper term—that he had seen before were a different cut from the rest. Where most of the souls before him were placid and seemingly content to remain that way, the two from earlier had chosen to attack him. They were restless, likely due to regret from their untimely demises.

With every moment he stayed in this place, his perception of hell was changing. It wasn't a place where people were damned to an eternity of suffering. I was more like a large storage unit for Death to keep his many souls.

"Hey," he turned to a group of souls, waiting for a reaction. When he didn't get one, the swordsman chose to simply continue as though he weren't being ignored. "I'm looking for the Baku. Can any of you tell me where that is?"

A few heads turned towards him, a few others gave him confused looks, but other than that, he didn't get any reaction. The silence was really starting to irritate him. He tried to grab one by the collar, but his hand fazed through.

"You're a waste of my time." He spat. The swordsman turned to leave, only to remember that he had no idea where he was going. At least, he didn't think he did. Everything looked the same to him, and Death hadn't exactly drawn him a map.

Normally, he'd rather wander aimlessly than admit that he was lost, but he needed to find his captain, and he had no idea how long it would be before his crew was unfrozen. With an irritated sigh, Zoro turned back to one of the souls that had given him some sort of a reaction.

"I'm looking for my captain," he stated slowly. The soul blinked in confusion, but nodded slightly. "I need to find the Dream Eater's lair. Can you help me?" There was a slight pause, before the soul blinked twice and turned its back to him.

"God damn it!" Zoro snapped, passing through the soul altogether so they were face to face once more. He threw his hands out in frustration. "What part of 'can you help me' don't you under—"

"Zoro?"

The swordsman stopped midsentence, turning to the vaguely familiar voice. His eyes fell on a newcomer to the group.

"So it is you." She sounded extremely disappointed. After all of these years, she looked exactly the same. That was probably because one didn't age after death, but it still looked odd—the spirit of a child, standing amongst all of the other souls.

"Kuina." Zoro's mind went blank, and he must have been staring at her blankly as well, because she gave him a mirthless smile and a wave.

"Yes, Zoro. It's me." She said, before she quirked an eyebrow at the swordsman, as though inquiring why he was looking at her in that way.

"What are you doing in Hell?" Zoro asked, and the confusion on Kuina's face was replaced with understanding.

"Well, I'm dead." She started, giving him a wry smile, "I didn't think you were so stupid that you wouldn't _notice_…"

"No, I mean…" He trailed off and she chuckled, holding up a hand before he could continue.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just teasing. _Why aren't you in Heaven, right?_ Well, it's not because I was a bad person, I mean, I was only a kid." She gave him a pointed look, "and you should be _happy_ I'm telling you this, because it took me _forever_ to figure out why I didn't go to Heaven… It's because there isn't one. At least, not really…" She shrugged.

Her eyes went over the other souls in the area and the smile left her face. Zoro watched her as she stared wistfully at the inanimate souls. A small yellow orb the size of his fist drifted leisurely before his face, and he brushed it away. Kuina's head snapped back at the sight.

"Don't disrespect them!" She scolded, and apologized to the small light.

"What is that thing?" He asked, watching as it drifted away. Now that he thought about it, he'd seen a couple of them earlier as well, but he'd ignored it, thinking them part of the landscape.

"You don't _know_?" When Zoro gave her a blank look she sighed, "They're unprocessed souls. New to Hell. Souls that are newly admitted must be changed to fit with hell. After they are processed, they look more human. The souls will either end up like them," she motioned to the inanimate souls longingly, "or me." Zoro frowned at the motion, and tried to ask what she meant, but Kuina cut him off.

"So we failed, huh?" She asked, and the same disappointment was back in her voice. Zoro's brows came together in confusion. He almost asked her what she meant, but realization dawned on him.

"I'm not dead." Her head snapped around so fast he almost didn't see it happen, and he almost took a step back. She was livid—he'd never seen her so upset, the closest was on the day she'd died, when she was telling him how hopeless her dream was because she was a girl, and even then…

"You idiot! You're in Hell, of course you're dead!" She snapped, Zoro shook his head, tried to cut in on her rant, but her anger seemed to grow in intensity, "Shut up! _Shut up, Zoro!_ Don't kid yourself! If you do, you'll never get to Heaven—"

"I thought you said there wasn't a Heaven." Zoro stated flatly.

"There isn't! Not…really. But if you accept your death, if you don't have any regrets, you can be like them," She motioned to the other souls, none of whom had shown any sign of reacting to her or Zoro. "You can be like them, and you don't have to spend an eternity constantly _wishing_ for your life back, you can just be… content. That's the real Hell, Zoro, having to be _conscious _of everything. After a few years, you start to loose your mind!"

"Well, I already told you, I'm not dead, so it doesn't matter to me—"

"Shut _up!_" She shrieked, and swung around to punch him. Zoro didn't move to dodge the attack, mostly because he knew she couldn't hit him, even if she _did_ hit him, he was too strong now, and she was still technically a kid. The look of complete shock that crossed her face when her hand fazed through him caught Zoro off guard, though. She stumbled for balance, overcorrected, and fell into the dirt. After a few moments of stunned silence, she turned to look at him.

"I went through you." She mumbled. Zoro shrugged.

"Well, yeah. I'm a soul." She shook her head, scrambling to her feet.

"No, no, but _I'm_ a soul too. I should be able to…" She reached out to one of the souls standing nest to her and grabbed his sleeve. Zoro was surprised to see the fabric curve under her touch. With her other hand she attempted to grab Zoro's, but her hand fazed through again. "What the…"

"I told you, I'm not dead." Zoro gave her an arrogant smirk, "I haven't beaten Mihawk yet, after all. I'm just here to get my captain's soul back."

"Oh, Zoro…" Kuina said, "I don't know how you got here, but you're wasting your time. Death doesn't just _give_ souls back..."

"Actually, I was sent here _by _Death." She looked unbelieving, but Zoro ignored it. "He… _It _said I didn't have a lot of time. I need to find the Dream Eaters." Zoro frowned at the look of outrage that crossed her face. "So you know where it is, then?" He added.

"You can't go there!"

"Oh, yes, I can. And I will be, as soon as you show me which way it is."

"Zoro, they'll kill you, for _real. _ You captain is probably already—" She broke off midsentence, looking apologetic. "Sorry." Zoro dismissed it with a hand.

"It's not a problem, because _I'm_ not going to die, and _he_ isn't dead. Now, where am I going?" She hesitated a moment, and then reluctantly pointed over Zoro's shoulder. When he turned to look, he noticed a particularly tall rock face poking out over the tops of the others.

"Just, head that way." She paused, not really wanting to see him go. "You said captain… are you a marine?" Zoro scoffed.

"Hell no. Pirate." She seemed stunned by this, but at the same time, Zoro was surprised to see that she didn't disapprove. Zoro gave her a reassuring smile, "And Zoro?" she asked, "Be careful." With a nod, the swordsman started off, but not before turning to the girl once more, placing a hand on his sword as he did so.

"Before I go, how did you know I hadn't beaten Mihawk?" Kuina frowned, locking eyes with Zoro.

"Because if I had nothing to regret from my life, then I wouldn't be conscious… and I'm still here." Zoro moved to ruffle her hair, but let his hand drop to his side when he couldn't. Instead, he offered her a reassuring smile—which looked more like an arrogant smirk, but it portrayed the message all the same.

"I'll beat Mihawk, for the both of us. So don't worry."

"I think… that Hell will be more tolerable if I weren't alone." She mumbled. "That's what sucks about dying young, you end up waiting _forever_ for your friends and family—I wouldn't suggest it, by the way." She tapped her chin playfully. "But I think I've waited long enough already. A few more decades can't hurt. I'll be waiting for you." She flashed him a grin, which he matched.

"Sure. Next time, you can meet my crew."

Kuina watched him as he turned and left. She considered his words for a moment, before a small smile played its way across her features. It grew larger, and she let out a laugh and turned to go join the other souls.

She could tell he was in more of a hurry than he let on. She hadn't gotten the chance to ask Zoro anything about his captain, but if Zoro was willing to go to Hell to save him, then she doubted there was anything to worry about.

She wasn't sure what it was, but the swordsman's confidence had changed her thinking a little. She'd always trusted Zoro to beat Mihawk, but seeing him now had removed all doubt from her mind.

The expression of happiness was replaced with a more mellow expression as she slid into the crowd of undisturbed souls, as though she had always been there.

---

Zoro's feet pounded against the stone, though they made no sound in their current form. He'd wasted way to much time. He'd been distracted—and for good reason—but now he had to move quickly.

The place Kuina had indicated as the Baku's lair was closer than it appeared. Time seemed to pass differently in this dimension, and, although Zoro didn't know how long it had been since he had first arrived, he did know that he didn't have a lot of time left.

Coming up to the rock face, Zoro had expected to see some kind of cave, maybe even a door. Instead he saw a completely featureless wall that towered above him. It had no outward blemishes, which meant no entrance.

Zoro's eyes scanned the wall frantically. Had he come to the wrong place? That was impossible, he hadn't taken his eyes off the rock for even a second, and he doubted Kuina had pointed him in the wrong direction.

The swordsman glanced left and right, before taking a few cautious steps toward the wall. He doubted that his crew would dispose of their bodies too quickly after death. That gave him a few hours longer than the two that Death had given him by stopping time. Still, he couldn't afford to stand around trying to figure out where the entrance to the Dream Eater's lair was.

He crossed the last few steps to the wall and drew Sandai Kitetsu from his side. If this was the place he needed to be, and there was no door, he would just have to _make_ a door. With one swift cut, the katana tore through the wall.

It passed through the stone as though cutting air and the lack of friction told the swordsman he had missed, despite the fact that his eyes told him otherwise. The wall rippled and shone with its own light, moving from the katana's blade outward in a steadily rippling wave.

Zoro reached out a hand to touch the wall. It dipped behind the stone with no resistance, sending out similar, steady waves of light. Without giving himself time to think—or talk himself out of it—the swordsman re-sheathed his swords and dove head first through the wall.

**The next update for this story will be later than usual because I have a state competition for Large Group Speech this week and so I'll be a little busy. Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	4. Dream Eater

_"The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief".--Othello Act I, Scene III_

**Dream Eater**

From somewhere in the distance, a door was slammed. Zoro heard Nami shrieking about it being too early for that kind of noise, he heard Sanji come to her aid. He listened to the exchange for a few moments before he realized that he was back on the Sunny and he jolted awake.

The swordsman sat bolt-upright in his hammock, sending himself off balance and onto the floor. He'd been moved from the kitchen, but he didn't care. Someone had taken his shirt off, too, but he didn't know or care why.

In two bounding steps he'd crossed the room and flung the door open, startling Usopp, who was reaching for the knob. Zoro ignored him as he relayed the message that it was time to eat, making a beeline for the infirmary.

He didn't remember anything after passing into the Dream Eater's lair. He'd met with Kuina, found the wall. His hand passed through it, like the stone didn't even exist, so he'd jumped in. And then… nothing.

Something was itching at the back of his brain. He couldn't remember _what _but Zoro was certain that he was forgetting something! But if he couldn't remember, he wasn't going to dwell on it and flung the infirmary door hastily open instead, startling his second victim for the day.

"Gahh! Zoro! You scared me!" Chopper shrieked, leaning against the doorframe in a failed attempt at hiding. Zoro peered past the reindeer to the empty room behind him.

"Where's Luffy?" Chopper looked confused, and maybe a little concerned, at his tone of voice when he asked the question. The reindeer shrugged.

"In the… kitchen. Why?" He asked, but Zoro ignored him and headed for the kitchen, pulling this door open and making a rather grand entrance. Everyone turned to him as he shouted his captain's name, relief flooding his voice. Luffy turned to him with a mouthful of food. He smiled and gave a sheepish wave.

"Sorry Zoro, I ate yours." He said, though he didn't look very sorry. Before Zoro could say anything, Sanji scoffed.

"So _nice_ of you to join us, Marimo." He snapped, turning back to the counter, where he was cleaning up after his cooking.

"Luffy, what the hell happened?" Zoro asked, "I don't… remember anything." By this time, Chopper had walked into the room after Zoro. Everyone looked confused. Luffy at once adopted a frantic expression.

"You don't remember! Chopper! Zoro has amnesia!" Again, something in the back of his mind Zoro was overcome with the overwhelming feeling that he was forgetting something, or that he was missing some very important detail.

"No Luffy, he doesn't." Nami assured, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to sit back down. Chopper frowned at the swordsman, sizing him up.

"Zoro, what are you talking about?" Zoro gave them all an incredulous look, which they matched, some with skepticism, some with concern.

"What do you mean, 'what are you talking about'?" he pointed an accusatory finger at Luffy. "You were dead—" at this point, Zoro lost what little control of the situation he had when Sanji burst into hysterics. Between breaths, he managed to mock the swordsman.

"Stupid… Marimo's worked up… over a bad dream!" At this point, both of the girls gave him sympathetic looks and Luffy joined in on the laughing, though he didn't really see what was so funny.

"Shut up, Cook. It wasn't a fucking dream." He snapped, though he wasn't so sure. He turned to Nami, who was still looking sympathetic. "Don't look at me like that." Sanji crossed the space between them, glaring daggers.

"Don't talk to a lady that way you ogre!" He moved to kick the swordsman square in the chest. Zoro would have blocked it, but when he went for his swords, he stopped short. The force behind the kick sent him out the galley door and onto the deck. Sanji looked surprised—he'd expected Zoro to block the kick—and went to the door to look out at him.

Zoro grabbed Kitetsu with a pensive hand. He only had one of his swords. But where were the other two?

Wait!

His head snapped toward the cook when he realized what had happened. Death had warned him about this, and he'd fallen for it! He pointed his sword at Sanji, who had adopted a grave expression.

"You're not the cook." Sanji's face twisted into a scowl, as the form itself, and everything around him, began to blur. It was all an illusion.

The change was disorienting. It was getting harder to remember where he was, what was happening. Zoro didn't know why he was here, just that he needed to get out. He sensed movement, heard the displacement of air, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Movement to his left caught his eye, and Zoro lashed out at it.

In an instant, the world came into focus once again.

He felt something warm running over his hands, and looked up to see a bright orange patch of hair. He stepped back, and Nami fell in a heap into the blood stained grass of the Thousand Sunny.

"You killed them." Zoro turned to Robin, who was standing on the other side of the deck, staring solemnly at him. Her voice hadn't been accusing—it was a simple statement of facts, as though she'd expected this to happen all along. Between them were the bodies of their captain, navigator, and sharpshooter, all with a sword obtruding from their backs. His swords were gone from his side, because they were…

He raised a shaky hand, staring at the red stained skin. This couldn't be happening. This was wrong, he wouldn't kill them, not his nakama… and yet, he couldn't remember anything of what had happened until now.

"You bastard!" Zoro turned to the accuser, just in time to take a fist to the jaw. He stumbled slightly, and turned to look at the source of the attack.

"Sanji." Zoro spit a mouthful of blood into the dirt. He studied the ground seeming to be lost in thought. After a long moment, his lips curled into a smirk. "Heh, you idiot."

"_I'm _the idiot? You killed—"

"No." Zoro cut him off. Sanji took a wary step back at the threat beneath the words. "You fuckers need to do your research. I have _three_ swords, the stupid cook doesn't _punch_, and Luffy is my _captain,_ I am _not_ leaving without him!"

Sanji stepped back, letting out a feral growl that was completely out of character. He began to disappear, leaving only a black mass in the cook's wake. It floated over the deck, bobbing back and forth mindlessly as the Zoro watched it, unmoving. As soon as he took a step toward it, the beast let out a ghastly shriek and darted away from the swordsman.

Again, the world became blurry, but Zoro was expecting it this time, and managed to hold onto his senses, focusing on the black spirit that had, at this point, stopped running from him. He wasn't on the Sunny anymore—though he realized that he'd never really been on the Sunny—instead, he was standing before a writhing mass of black shadows, hundreds, it seemed, all swarming around the center of the room. There was a light source somewhere, though he couldn't see it from where he stood.

A Dream Eater darted past him, joining the mass of creatures in the center of the room. He was being ignored completely, probably because the Baku didn't know that he was no longer in the grips of their illusion. The mass shifted, and a beam of light peeked out from between the beasts to strike the ceiling. It looked like one of the orbs of light he'd seen earlier—an unprocessed soul.

That was when Zoro realized that he wasn't being swarmed because the Dream Eaters were too busy swarming something else. It was a feeding frenzy. He didn't know for certain what it was, but he could wager a guess.

Zoro grabbed his sword and sent a flying attack into the nearest shadows, intending to either fight his way through them, or at least draw them away from the light he had seen. The creatures shrieked as the attack passed through their forms and they darted away. Their cries alerted the others of the attacker, and something Zoro had never expected happened. They all vanished.

_They are cowards and will likely flee at the first sign of danger._

Zoro glanced warily at the walls, searching for any lingering beasts that may want to attack him. When he turned back to the light, it had gone.

For a moment, Zoro panicked. Had they taken the soul with them? He didn't even know if it was Luffy, and it had disappeared! On the very edge of his peripheral vision, a shadow shifted on the wall. In an instant he had drawn his sword and turned to face the shadow. His shadow.

The swordsman regarded the form projected on the wall, and turned to find the source. It wasn't hard to locate—the little ball of light was bobbing excitedly back and forth some three inches from his nose. When he waved it off, it whirled excitedly around his hand and up his arm, slinging around his neck to dodge back and forth in front of his nose again, leaving an afterimage of light in its wake.

"Luffy? Hey—" Before he had a chance to finish the sentence, the soul darted away, passing through a wall and leaving him in darkness. Zoro ran after it, hoping that the walls would be an impalpable as before, since he couldn't see to avoid running into them. He didn't see or feel himself passing through the walls of the Dream Eater's lair, but the swordsman was hit by a bright light nonetheless.

He blinked a few times and after a couple moments, his eyes adjusted and the same empty landscape he'd traveled through before made itself known.

"You've done well." Zoro turned to the voice. Its owner stood some ten feet away, staring solemnly at Zoro. In his hand, he held the unprocessed soul. Zoro's eyes narrowed, his body growing tense.

"What're you doing?" His voice was cold, but if Death perceived the threat, he took no heed. Instead, the hooded figure turned away from him. The voice that echoed through his mind, was nothing more than a telepathic message, but for all Zoro knew, it could have been screamed in his ears.

"You are far too trusting, Roronoa… Far too trusting, but you are lucky as well. I gave you my word, and I can not break it. But rest assured, the next time I have the chance, I will not be hindered by my inability to break a promise. I will take your captain's soul."

"Tsch." Zoro scoffed, "Like I'd let you."

"You may leave this place the way you came in." With that, Death vanished, though the voice remained, "And I would make haste. Your two hours are up."

**There will be only one more, short chapter to serve as an epilogue and wrap this up nicely… or not so nicely, depending on what you wanted from this story. Thanks to all who read and reviewed!**


	5. Out of the Jaws of Death

_"Let me speak a little. This youth that you see here I snatched one half out of the jaws of death. ". – The Taming of the Shrew, Act III, Scene IV_

**Out of the Jaws of Death**

"I'm _not_ your captain!" Zoro shouted, slamming his fists on the table in front of him. As soon as they made contact, the swordsman went limp and fell to the floor. It happened so quickly that none of the crew even registered what was happening, let alone tried to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Zoro?" Chopper squeaked, earning no response.

There was a moment of stunned silence before the situation actually registered and their doctor burst into hysterics.

"Zoro, bro?" Franky yelled, obviously shaken. When there was no response to his call Franky and the rest of the crew moved in an irrational attempt at offering their assistance, all of them obviously concerned by the events of the day. Chopper leapt up to check his pulse. "He's… dead."

"What do you mean, dead?" Sanji nearly shouted, "He was fine a second ago!" The little doctor seemed at a loss for words. Nami stepped forward, intending to help the doctor, though she didn't know how.

"No, Nami." Chopper ordered, holding back hysterics in an attempt at professionalism. "I… don't know what's happening, but it might be contagious." This didn't seem to sit well with Usopp, who took a few nervous steps back.

"Doctor-san?" Robin asked, eyeing Zoro doubtfully, "How did you say captain-san died?"

Chopper sniffed, nudging Zoro's shoulder subconsciously as though it would rouse him from his permanent sleep. "I…I'm not sure. He was perfectly healthy."

"And swordsman-san, as well." She replied, "Neither death seemed natural at all, so is there not a chance that they _weren't _natural?"

"Oh, Robin…" Nami said with tears in her eyes, though she seemed to pity the older woman for her inability to cope.

"Do not patronize me. I've seen plenty of death; it doesn't shock me any more. I simply can't see this as natural."

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked nervously, "Like, a devil's fruit?"

"I'm not really sure." Robin said. "But I think that we should—" A loud crash came from the infirmary, followed by the sound of breaking glass. The crew froze, and turned in unison to stare at the wall between them and the sound.

All the talk of foul-play had put the crew on edge, and every one of them was prepared for anything. Anything, of course, except for what actually happened. As soon as the sound ceased, the door between the infirmary and the kitchen swung open, banging noisily against the wall.

Luffy, grinning like a fool, stood in the doorway. When he caught sight of Zoro, he bounded over to the swordsman, mumbling a quick apology to Chopper for breaking things, and dropped down next to him, crossing his legs beneath himself.

"L-Luffy!" Chopper squeaked, taking a step back.

"Zombie!" Usopp screamed, stumbling over himself to get away from his "undead" captain. Nami hit him over the head.

"Shut up, Usopp!" she snapped, though she wasn't really sure what was going on.

"Captain-san?" Robin asked calmly, as the others seemed to be at a loss for words. "What, exactly, happened?" Luffy, stopped poking Zoro's cheek long enough to turn to Robin. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I died." He said, jabbing Zoro another couple times in the face, "but Zoro came and got me." The crew exchanged tentative glance. It wasn't that they didn't believe him—after all, he had come back from the dead—but he wasn't exactly helping to clarify the situation.

"Luffy, what do you mean; Zoro came to… get you?" Luffy shrugged again, sticking his face above Zoro's to hover with a few inches between them.

"I mean he came to get me… And now he's taking his sweet time coming back…" There was a pause, before Luffy's brows furrowed in frustration. "Zoro!" he shouted, "Hurry up! You're so slow!" At that moment, Zoro chose to sit straight up, drawing in a gasping breath as he did so. The proximity of Luffy's head to his own caused them to smash skulls.

"Shit!" Zoro hissed, holding his forehead while trying to catch his breath. "You idiot!" He snapped grabbing Luffy's shirt, "Do _not_ die again. You're such a pain!" He paused before repeating himself, this time in a demanding, yet almost pleading voice. "Don't die again."

"Zoro!" Chopper squeaked. The swordsman turned to look at the doctor, quirking an eyebrow at the teary-eyed look he was receiving. "You're not dead!" And with that, he flung himself at Zoro grabbing him around the neck with one arm, Luffy around the other. "Thank _God._" Chopper squeaked, breaking into happy tears. Franky joined in, with a chorus of "such a beautiful reunion" that he shared with their musician.

Sanji rolled his eyes, not interested anymore, as long as no one was dead or dying. With a shaky hand, he pulled a cigarette out of its pack and lit it, taking a long drag. While the entire group seemed to revel in the moment, Nami turned to Robin with an incredulous look, and she simply chuckled and offered a hand as though saying "I surrender". Nami didn't seem to accept that response, though, and walked over to grab Luffy by the arm.

"Tell me what happened. Now." With that, she began dragging him off, much to his distain, to a place where she could interrogate him without interruption. At the door, she paused and motioned with a finger for Zoro to follow.

He considered not going along. He could tell her he didn't feel well, use Chopper as a living alibi, but the look on her face told him that she wasn't going to accept that. She wanted answers, and he didn't doubt what she'd do to get them. Obediently, Zoro stood and followed her from the room.

"Come on, Robin." She called after her. The archeologist chuckled and stood to follow them out of the room. After all, she was curious, too.

"There isn't much to tell…other than the whole dying thing…" Luffy tried, but Nami would have none of it. Then as an afterthought, he added, "Sanji! Make me lunch!" as she pulled him out the door. The cook smirked and set to work, while the rest of the crew either continued what they were doing before the whole ordeal, or let their curiosity get the best of them and followed the four out of the room.

They settled on the deck, with Zoro and Luffy in the grass; Chopper was on the swing and the rest of the crew was either sitting on the stairs, the railing, or in the grass with their captain. Luffy grinned broadly.

"Well, I think Zoro can probably tell it better than _I _can…" Luffy said when he was prompted by Nami. Usopp rolled his eyes.

"Zoro's a terrible story teller!" He yelled, ignoring the scoff from the swordsman's direction.

"I can tell a damn story just fine." He snapped, but Usopp seemed unconvinced. He eyed the swordsman for a moment before grudgingly sighing.

"Fine, you tell the story, but I'll help." He said, puffing out his chest. "After all, you'll need someone with my skills."

"Would you just shut up and let him get on with the story?" Nami snapped, slapping Usopp on the back of the head. The sniper gave her a distasteful look—because warriors of the sea don't _pout_. Luffy grinned.

"Okay, Zoro! You start, then it's Usopp's turn!" He cheered, having already turned this into a game. The swordsman rolled his eyes with a little smirk. It was good to be back.

"You know what…" Zoro said with a pause, "How about Usopp goes first? He does have all of the experience."

**And that, my friends, is the end of this story. Thanks to those who stuck around to the end and a very special thanks to all who reviewed or intend to review! Be sure to tell me what you think of the story, and keep your eyes open for my next multi-chapter story. I'm not going to give anything away, but it is very likely that this one is going to be well into twenty chapters long by the time I finish it, though I've only written through chapter seven.**


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